OT April Chit Chat

[Sunshine]

I will be having a Cystoscopy under anesthesia to rule out Interstitial Cystitis in a few weeks. I dread the whole Baclofen Tizanidine issue . Meeting with pre op ARNP in a few days to discuss how to manage the NPO thing with needing to take 5 pills at 1:30 am and one pill at 6 am. Sure hope i dont go into an SPS crisis.

Comcast was completely out in our area for 4 hours. No phones, no internet, no cells, no tv. For some reason, email worked.

Its scary to have no reliable way to connect to emergency help...Only 1 bar on cell because live rural and need network extender which depends on Comcast WiFi.

[Howie]

I lost power here for 4 days. And it happened right after I had talked to my brother, so I couldn't recharge my cell. I went out and bought batteries so I at least had a radio, and CD player. No power is the pits.

[stillstANNding]

I’m in Pennsylvania. I went to the hospital from the airport. Mom says she’s better - looks about the same as on FaceTime but I know that she’s safe. Her cardiologist said her heart is the same, not involved in this. The flu test was possitive so she is in isolation. She has an apppetite and has been texting me all day starting st 5:15 AM.

My job is to support her, take care of myself and clean the house for her coming home. I sure miss Peter.

Thank you for prayers and well wishes.
ANN

[Sunshine]

Sounds like a good plan ANN.

[Virginia]

Ann, support her, take care of yourself and hire a maid for the cleaning. I am glad to hear it is not heart involved, but the flu can drain a person.

Well, no one missed me, not even Howie. First time on line since Monday night. I have food poisoning. Obviously, I am on the mend or I would not be here. Third time in my life, once in France, one time 26 years ago just after moving where I live now and this time. Do not know what caused it. I would say the food we ate at the restaurant Sunday night, but from past history I can tell you that it starts within hours and this time it started the following night. From Monday night until Tuesday night I only made it into the kitchen one time and that was about 7P.M. Tuesday night to get pills I normally take in the morning. Everything in my refrigerator is going to be tossed. I will start out with applesauce and toast and maybe a banana.

Cherie, thanks for the tenderloin recipe. That is how I will do mine the next time. I hope you are able to get antibiotics so that you will be assured of a good cruise.

I think it is time to call out the hens re: Cat. That is too long. I just hope all is well.

Sunshine, I hope you are able to go through this procedure without any effects to your MS/SPS. I think that is great idea about the van. It does mean that you will be much more independent. Look at Jeanie, she has been on a scooter for many years, but was able to go because of her van.

Howie, sorry you were off line. Apparently, that was while I was busy being sick.

[Howie]

Virginia, here lately, I am in bed by at least 11, some nights earlier. But I am able to get things done early. Today, I went to the grocery store.

[Howie]

Never mind, I looked it up on the Net.

[Pegakafarmgirl]

whacky weather we are having right now,, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska,, they are getting a late spring blizzard,, luckily Iowa is just getting rain and high winds, up north snow totals are any where from 10 to 30,, yes I said 30,, with 60 miles an hour winds,, just feel sorry for these people,,the farmers ,,

not much else,, hang in there ,, ANN,, hope your mother is rallying,,

[stillstANNding]

Hi all.

I hope Cherie and Virginia get feeling better and that Sunshine gets some answers.

I dearly hope that Jeanie gets some help. This should not have been told to her so late (24 hour notice)! Seems that a competent social worker could work some magic.

Peg, that is crazy weather. I hope we don’t have bad heat and fires this year.

Mom is ifffy. She texted me at 5 AM and said “I’m sacred” and “Are we alright”. I called her. She didn’t know where she was but there was also almost panic in her voice. I told her to ring the call bell. She did not understand what “call bell” was. I told her it was by her right hand. Finally I told her to yell, “help.” She’s close to the nurses station and someone came. She told me she didn’t even know who she was. I think it was an adverse reaction to Tamiflu which they give her at night. It can cause psychiatric disturbances.

Despite that rocky start, they decided to discharge her today. They haven’t even had out of bed in a chair or walking except 2 steps w a nurse to the bathroom.

I changed her bed - washed everything down to the mattress pad. I did three loads of laundry in all and then took a shower. I went to the hospital in an Uber as Mom was supposed to be discharged “after lunch.” I called a friend who had offered to bring us home. Mom was still there for supper at 5 PM (stuffed pepper and mashed potatoes). We finally got out of there at 6:30 and got home at 7 PM.

Mom was very weak. Almost unable to walk from the car to the house. She came home on O2. I had to call for the oxygen concentrater to be delivered. That was almost magic. I hung up and the truck was in front of the house. Thing is, Medicare will pay for oxygen if you need it for CHF (which she has) but not for an acute illness like the flu. We have to pay. That’s part of why we were so late. The continuing care coordinator worked on this all afternoon.

We are exhausted. We have a visiting nurse, physical therapist and an OT coming in the next 48 hours. It’s too much. We just need to sleep. No Tamiflu tonight.

ANN

[stillstANNding]

This was a double-post.

ANN

[nuthatch]

Oh Ann, I can totally understand how stressful this is for you, having gone through similar experiences with both of my parents. More than one doctor explained to us that old people become very quickly disoriented in an unfamiliar setting like a hospital or rehab facility. Older people react to many medications too. My own mother went through disorientation, hallucinations, and panic that was so unlike her, nearly every time she was hospitalized and/or during a rehab stay. Evenings and nights were the worst, hence the term "sundowners". She returned to her normal wonderful self once she was home in familiar surroundings.

We later had many conversations about the things she was insistent had happened while in the rehab facility ("they were so REAL"). Example: One afternoon when I called her, she said there was a birthday party going on in the room across the hall. Lots of people came with a cake and presents, there was singing and children were running up an down the hall! I honestly thought maybe it was a patient's birthday and relatives had come to celebrate. I told my brother about it, so when he went to visit, he asked her roommate and the staff about it. Mom wasn't upset about it, it's just that it never really happened!

Another time she reported to me (in the morning) that she didn't sleep well the night before because the police were outside all night searching for someone that kept throwing a ball or something against the building. Again, didn't happen, we asked. I remember my brother telling me that Mom's roommate would roll her eyes and give my brother the "she's got a screw loose" gesture when he asked her about these incidents. The roommate was a permanent resident of this nursing home/rehab facility, and had seen this 'sundowner' thing many times with previous roommates.

I never imagined sundowners would/could happen with Mom. She had no dementia and was totally "with it".

My elderly father had these issues while hospitalized too but he was medicated, so we blamed it on medications, esp. morphine. He saw fish swimming through the air, kept trying to get up and leave and became combative, requiring restraints. So unlike him! We couldn't get him out of there soon enough and back to his ol' self.

Regarding the insurance not paying for O2, they wouldn't pay for mine last year when I came home after being hospitalized over night with the flu. Seems unfair when it's necessary and doctor's orders! We did have the same great fast service with the O2 delivery. Those people were on it!!

Keeping you and your mom in my thoughts and prayers, Ann. She's on the mend and will be okay. Hugs to you both.

Joan

[nuthatch]

Virginia, I hope you're feeling better. Hugs.

[Cherie]

ANN,
My brother was in the same boat last week needing O2 and nebulizer following a bout with the flu so his doc rewrote the script for use secondary to COPD from tobacco exposure and Medicare paid 100% of it. Our system certainly needs some tweaking.

Virginia,
Feeling any better? Are you sure it's food poisoning?

Well, doc was hesitant to order antibiotic but when I pushed and said that the urinalysis was done as a dipstick and not microscopic so of course no white blood cells were seen and the culture was read and tossed at 24 hours instead of the 24,48, and 72 that were ordered and I never colonize till after 48 hours. He ordered 5 days instead of the 10 I usually need but it should knock it down so I have more energy for the cruise. Leaving tomorrow morning. Heather and I are going for pedicures in about 15 minutes to get ready for that. Dave takes her and the boys in their car to the airport at 5 in the morning, comes home and gets breakfast then we leave at 9 for our flight and pick up a neighbor on the way who has a flight at noon. We will park at the airport for $7/day (ANN, don't you wish you could park for that at Logan?). We are packed with a bit of room to spare. 2 suitcases and two carry ons.

[stillstANNding]

Safe journey, Cherie. We take Uber to the airport so no parking but it costs about $20. You have a good deal.

Nuthatch, Mom is like your mom, very with it. She also had a hallucination of the nurse leaning against a jukebox. Another side effect of Tamiflu but it could have been sundowning.

ANN

[Virginia]

Ann, it does sound like you and your Mom need rest and a lot of it. I am sorry she seems to be having such a hard time. I hope she likes all the people who come for her home care - visiting nurse, PT and OT. I also hope you are able to get some rest. Thankfully, you were able to do all this for her.

Cherie, hope you and all the family have a great vacation. Take notes for us. So glad you got the antibiotic, at least maybe enough to keep you until you get back home.

I am trying to feel better. I had just a tiny bit of cereal this morning for breakfast and a piece of toast and 4 oz of applesauce for lunch. I continue to drink a little ginger ale and will find something for tonight.

I ordered from Instacart today and got everything to make potato soup tomorrow. That will make enough for a couple of days and will hopefully help get me back on my feet. I threw away almost everything in my refrigerator and I did not give Rebif shot last night and right now do not plan to give it tomorrow night. I will try to get back on track with it next week.

Cherie, I am basing the food poisoning diagnosis on the two other times that I have been that violently ill. One time was in France just a couple of weeks after I got there. Husband took me to American hospital where they gave me a shot. The other time was right after I moved where I live now and that was 26 years ago. I got that sick on Friday night and finally when one of my brothers called me on Sunday night, I then called my Doctor who phoned in two prescriptions to an all night pharmacy. That is all I can go by. This was as quick and violent as those two were. When I got that sick 26 years ago my Doctor told me over the phone that I was going to be weak after it was over for at least 10 days.

There is a family get together for my nieces husband Saturday night. I have already cancelled plans to go. My nail appointment is tomorrow and I plan to cancel that also.

I had never put sundowners with what Nuthatch was talking about. However, I can see where that could happen. I stayed in my husband's hospital room so long toward the end that I began to see it in my mind as being a round room, which it was not. I was only in my 40s. It is scary.

Peg, that is some more weird weather. I cannot imagine being where there is that much snow this time of year. My heart does go out to the farmers. I hope they get some help from somewhere.